WGU Alumni Podcast
WGU’s alumni network now has more than 350,000 graduates living in all 50 states. The WGU alumni podcast highlights the incredible work that our alumni are doing in their local communities. We also share benefits, perks, resources and partner information to help our graduates stay engaged and get the most out of the alumni community.
WGU Alumni Podcast
From teenage mom to chief nursing officer: Distinguished Graduate Shanell Murphy’s Journey
From teenage mom to chief nursing officer, first-generation college graduate Shanell Murphy shares her inspiring story of resilience and success and how her commitment to nursing education has paved the way.
On this podcast, we explore her growth from her early days in Charleston, South Carolina, to her healthcare leadership chapters in Cleveland, Ohio, including her involvement with the American Nursing Association.
Shanell has earned three degrees from WGU – her bachelor’s of science in nursing, her master’s in business administration with concentration in healthcare management, and most recently her master’s in nursing leadership and management. In September of 2024, Shanell was named a distinguished graduate of WGU.
She is currently completing a book that documents her experiences and next has plans to embark on pursuing her Doctorate of Nursing Practice.
Have you ever thought it's too late for me? Well, it turns out you have more time than you think. We're living longer, doing more and collecting more moments. On this new season of the WGU Alumni Podcast, we're sharing the inspiring stories of our distinguished graduates who went back to school to pursue a degree and better their lives. We hope their stories will inspire you to realize it's never too late to go after your dreams. Hey, everybody, welcome back to the WGU Alumni Podcast. It's Jeff and Robert back with you. Hello, robert, good to be here again.
Speaker 3:Good time of year, isn't it? Oh, I love it. I mean, things are slowing down out there, but not at WGU, right? Because not at all. We have students working in class, we have faculty members working, we're here working, but still getting ready for the holidays.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And, robert, we've got another really good interview today from a distinguished graduate. We're continuing on with our series of Never Too Late Chanel Murphy, who I think you've met before. We've done some things online as well with the LinkedIn Live, and she's a fantastic guest doing a lot of great work up in Ohio, and we're thrilled to have her on the podcast today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and not just on the podcast today. This is. What's great is we actually got connected with Chanel some time ago. I mean, we got to have her on a LinkedIn Live which everyone should go watch. We got to have her in person at a couple events and just have been able to interact with her in multiple ways, and every time it's a pleasure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it really is. And do you remember how we got connected with Chanel?
Speaker 3:You know I think she actually got connected to us through Roxanne. That's right, and Roxanne, of course, she works at WGU. She's one of our alumni liaisons that lives in the region she lives in Ohio, just like Chanel and so they were able to make this connection not just virtually but in person, and then connect her to us so we get the privilege to know her right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, and I think we point that out here for those listening. No matter where you're at if you're in New Hampshire, Georgia, Rhode Island, Arizona, Montana, anywhere across the country we have a liaison that has responsibility for where you live and so where, Robert, is the best place for folks to connect up with the liaisons, to be able to be introduced to opportunities, maybe to share their voice, things like that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you want to find these people because they're the best. We love working with them, we get to work with them every day and they are so much fun. And you can find them. You just go to our LinkedIn group on the page the WGU alumni LinkedIn group, pinned at the top there. It'll connect you to a couple of resources, including telling you who is your liaison for your area and how you can get in contact with them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely reach out, definitely connect and we're doing more events and certainly as we go into 2025, there's a lot of great energy and a lot of good things happening, and then you know some additional things as well. So definitely connect and stay engaged that way.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you want to know them, just like you want to know Chanel, and if you haven't met her because you didn't watch LinkedIn Live, you haven't been at those events she's been at. This is a good opportunity to get to know why we like Chanel so much.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Let's go to that interview now. Chanel Murphy from Cleveland, ohio, is a dedicated healthcare professional and first-generation college graduate. Her career is marked by her commitment to delivering value-based care through innovation. Current registered nurse and former chief nursing officer, chanel specializes in regulatory compliance, upholding the highest standards of quality in health care management. She has earned three degrees from WGU her bachelor's of science in nursing, her master's in business administration with concentration in health care management and, most recently, her master's in nursing leadership and management. In September 2024, chanel was named a Distinguished Graduate of WGU. Chanel, it's an honor to have you on the podcast today. How are you?
Speaker 4:I'm doing good, Jeff. Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:Our pleasure. We are excited to catch up with you and really to give you a platform to share your successes, the great work that you've done, both in your education career, but also in the healthcare space. You light up a room, chanel. Let me just say that first and foremost, you're so kind and I'm excited for our audience to get to know you a little bit better. I am too, roxanne, and I have gotten to know you, roxanne, from my team a little bit more than I have, but she cannot say enough good about you. Anytime she has an event with you and anytime she gets to interact with you, she just comes away just feeling like a billion bucks and I agree I'm glad that she introduced you to me and that we've gotten to know each other over the last what six months or so?
Speaker 4:Yes, time went by fast. I feel the exact same about Roxanne. I love you guys. You're biggest supporters of me and I just appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Well, you're kind, and again I want to provide this platform for you to share a few things. So the first thing I want to ask you, though, as is custom to our podcast, we have students and graduates living in all 50 states, and so the first question I want to ask you is what is your favorite thing about living in the Cleveland Ohio area?
Speaker 4:I love that in our downtown area we have all three sports teams baseball, basketball and football and even though I am not a Browns fan, I love the Cavs, I love basketball and I love having the opportunity to go down there. I love that, being in Northeast Ohio, we have all four seasons and education and healthcare are big platforms here in Cleveland, so I'm grateful for that.
Speaker 1:I love that. All right, who's your favorite athlete there in Cleveland?
Speaker 4:It's going to be Donovan Mitchell. He's doing a great job.
Speaker 1:Yes he is. The Cavs are off to a great start and I'm in the Salt Lake City area so we got to know Donovan Mitchell. We drafted him here in Salt Lake. Sad to see him go but so glad that he's doing well. He's a great guy and a great athlete.
Speaker 4:Yes, he is A great leader for that team, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Now, where are you originally from?
Speaker 4:Oh, from Charleston, South Carolina. I have lost my accent. However, that has not changed my mannerisms and certain old-fashioned qualities about me, even though I'm young.
Speaker 1:I love it. How long have you lived in Ohio?
Speaker 4:I lived in Ohio for wow, 25 years. I came up here when I was 15. My family thought that coming to Cleveland would be a better opportunity, education-wise, versus being back in Charleston.
Speaker 1:Okay, very good. It's a great part of the country and you mentioned the sports culture there. I can't think of a more hearty group of sports fans. They root for Cleveland through and through for sure.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 1:I love that. Okay, now. Now switching gears and talking professional or personal. What's the most exciting thing that you're working on right now?
Speaker 4:A few things. So one is just recently I have been nominated as chair elect for the American Nursing Association of Ohio diversity, equity, inclusion so I will start my two-year term here next month, so I am gearing up for that. It's really exciting to me. I never thought I'd have the opportunity, so I am thrilled to be able to share my love for community in such a bigger platform. That's outstanding. Yeah, I'm grateful. I say that a lot, but I really mean it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's. That's great. What a great update and a great impact that you can have Now. You were recently named as one of only 14 distinguished graduate awardees at WGU, as I mentioned. First off, congratulations on that honor, thank you. Thank you. Tell us a little bit about what this recognition means to you.
Speaker 4:Well, starting off, jeff, with the call, I was very emotional, very humbled, because as a nurse, I always decide to put patients and families first and I do the best that I can and that's how I always live my life, and so to receive an honor of such a magnitude to me meant everything, and it came on the heels of the passing of my mother, and that was one of the things that she really loved about me was my spirit and drive to do the right thing, care and compassion and having education.
Speaker 4:I just wish that I had the opportunity to share it with her, because I knew she would have been excited.
Speaker 1:For sure, and something tells me that, even though she's not with us currently, she's looking down on you and is very proud of you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I feel that he's looking down on you and is very proud of you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I feel that Now you earned three degrees from WGU, so you first earned your bachelor's in nursing. Have you always wanted to be a nurse?
Speaker 4:Since I was a kid I've wanted to be a nurse. Growing up in the South, I got a chance to be around my great-grandma and I called her grandmama and once she got older in years she had a home care nurse come out and it was fascinating to see that and it just always stuck with me. And originally I was in school for pre-pharmacy and life happened. It took a little detour and I got to have the ability to go into nursing.
Speaker 1:Okay, and when did you enroll at WGU for your bachelor's degree? Remind me when that started.
Speaker 4:So I'll give you a little back story, if that's all right. Sure, education back home is a big deal. I grew up in poverty, had every kind of adverse situation you could think of, and one of the things that my great aunt, who raised me, would always tell me is knowledge is power. When you get an education, no one can take that from you, and just because you're here in this situation today doesn't mean that this could always be that way. This was coming from a woman that was a sharecropper, so they had a fifth grade education.
Speaker 4:So when I finally finished school, I got a chance to go to Cleveland State University to do pre-pharmacy, and I ended up being a teenage mother, and I remember someone that I really cared about had told me well, now you're a mother, you're going to have to put school away and you will have to work, and that really broke my heart, because I always found joy in education. So it wasn't until I finally became a nurse or my associates thought, oh, I'm fine, right where I'm at, and I went into dialysis and it was my dialysis nurse manager. This was back in 2016. She said Chanel, I'm starting a program at WGU, you should get on board with that and I said I don't know. I haven't had good luck with that, and so I enrolled and started my BSN in 2016.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, what a great story.
Speaker 4:Yes, yes, and that kind of set the drive for me. Because you know, for all those years in between, that time I felt that I had unfulfilled potential and I had tried other models of Internet school and it just didn't meet the needs. And when she shared WGU's platform, oh, I was so excited, I loved it, I loved it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is great. It has to be incredibly rewarding for you to be where you are today. Not that your career is over You've still got a lot of things, a lot of impact that you could have but it's got to be rewarding knowing where you're at and the success that you're having, knowing that you know 10, 15, 20 years ago that you were on a total different trajectory.
Speaker 4:Yes, I was. You know, sometimes when I think about life, I always would find myself at that time period feeling like man I wish I was in school, or I wish that this didn't turn this way, or I could be so much further along and I would get down on myself. But my cousin would always tell me, chanel, look where we came from. And I know you might not see it, but for you to be cognizant, still have a good heart and still pursue your dreams, that's most than most people back home ever got. And so, just putting in perspective, yes, I've achieved a lot, even when I feel like I haven't.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a great answer. Yeah, that's a great answer. We're calling this season of the podcast. It's Never Too Late and I think every one of the distinguished graduates that we're talking about kind of has.
Speaker 4:They have a different journey, they have a different pathway, but this theme of it's never too late, you know, which can translate into believing in yourself, to believing that when things get hard, right that you don't give up. So how do you think your story connects with this theme of it's never too late? I would say earning my bachelor's was the defining moment where it wasn't too late. I was a stay-at-home mom for several years. I had watched many of the people that I went to school with go on and earn degrees and have great careers, and I love my time at home with my three babies, but again, I still had that innate, that man. I feel I'm going to be too old. I'm going to be in my late 20s when I start. Everyone else is ahead of me and when I took that leap to do WGU and I know sometimes and I want to say that for those that take their time in the program I started in 2016.
Speaker 4:I didn't graduate until 2019 because I had three babies, divorced, doing it all and I doubted whether I was enough. And when I crossed that stage in Cincinnati of April 2019, I was transformed and I walked away, leaving that stage feeling it's not too late, I can change the trajectory of where I want to be and I am so grateful for that. It even translated into the jobs that I had. Without my bachelor's I would have never got the role as nurse manager at a acute rehab hospital, director of quality and even chief nursing officer, and I remember I used to feel man. People have done so much. They've been in this a long time. What does Chanel have to offer? And I realized it's not about perfection and that's what I loved about taking my time with earning my degree. In that time period. It reinforced to me showing up with integrity and willingness to serve, and I was so grateful that all the experiences brought me to that moment.
Speaker 1:That's fantastic. What was the biggest unexpected surprise or bonus from going back to school for you?
Speaker 4:I would say I found it this year. So in January I started my Master's of Nursing and I completed it September 30th of this year. So in January I started my master's of nursing and I completed it September 30th of this year. The biggest thing I got from that was discovering my own potential and finding my voice. Yes, I had the titles and yes, I have people that love me and support me, but it's different. And with WGU's program and the master's, it wasn't just we're writing a paper, it wasn't just we're going to take a test or these are the theories, it was what can you do? And I love that.
Speaker 4:One of my courses asked me to dig into local health policies, advocate for change, which is something that I'd never done before. And I remember thinking and telling my mentor, jenny oh my gosh, I can actually do this. So much so I reached out to my city mayor to get started on things that I needed to do and that gave me the confidence. Another bonus this year that I took from being with my WG mentor was finding a career mentor, and I am naturally introverted and I don't go to events. I stay away from them like they're the plague. But the career experiences in my WGU program, including my instructors. They taught me the value of collaboration and mentorship. Including my instructors. They taught me the value of collaboration and mentorship.
Speaker 4:So I had the privilege of going to our networking things and really diving deep, bringing family with me so they could see the awesome team of WGU. We had a night at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and got to hear some alumni speakers and other people and I just said I want to be a part of this. I can be a part of this and I was just really surprised. When I look back now at the end of the year, I feel like a completely different person. Jeff, this journey didn't transform my career. It made me a better mother, friend and advocate for other people and I'm so grateful for that.
Speaker 1:Thank you for sharing all of that. One of the things you said a second ago was you found your voice, and I love that. This world, your community, they definitely need Chanel and they need your voice, they need your passion. The project that you talked about advocating for a local healthcare issue, sum up what that feels like for you to maybe have found your voice, to kind of be in your element, doing the things that you were meant to do here on this earth.
Speaker 4:Don't get me started, jeff. I can go on and on. Now that I've found confidence. Growing up in the South, they have traditional values. You don't talk back when they tell you to do something. That is the way that it's done, it's tried and true. You stay walking that line and then you end up being a young mom and you have somebody else tell you oh no, you can't do school anymore. You can't do that. You shrink yourself.
Speaker 4:Because I thought, well, I feel like I can do this and I allow other people's limitations to get me there. So for a long time I would just be comfortable in the background and when I saw people like, oh yes, chanel, those are great ideas and I will be around people who are like minded, and made me feel, ok, I'm on the right path, I'm with the people I need to be with, it just really gave me that oomph to keep pressing forward and doing what I need to do. And so that is one of my missions is I love telling people don't be shy about where you're at. People need to hear you. That's why I love diverse people. Don't be shy about where you're at. People need to hear you. That's why I love diverse working environments. Everybody has a piece to add to it, and I'm so happy that finding my voice helped other people, not just myself and my thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that you found your voice and I love listening to it on this podcast, in this interview. You know I don't want to speak for our audience, but as the host of this podcast, I feel like I can, and that is. I don't think there's a person listening to this episode who's not inspired and who is not thinking about the course that you've charted.
Speaker 4:Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1:Can you think of another time, chanel, in your life where you decided it wasn't too late for something such as a hobby, an interest, an experience, something like that?
Speaker 4:I'll have to go back to service. I thought that you needed a title or you needed certain things to make an impact in the world. And when I started going out I'm lucky at my employer we have VTO volunteer time off where they put you four hours to go out and do work and it started from there where it blossomed. And when you serve other people, you see that, okay, I don't need to be this type of speaker, I don't need to be this, and it's not too late for me to start something to help contribute to my community. So that's something that I've been working on with a couple of friends of mine is realizing my age. And just because I'm where I'm at in my career doesn't mean that it's not too late for me to pursue other avenues with charity.
Speaker 4:And one more thing that has gotten me off my shelf is writing my story, my book. For a long time I thought no, no, no, no, it's OK, I'm too late for that, and now I feel like, no, every event was where it needs to be to get me here, so I'm grateful for that. So you know, the journey for me is it continues to evolve, and so I have been teaching myself. So it's so funny you ask these questions, Jeff, because that's what I have to tell myself. See, it wasn't too late, Chanel.
Speaker 1:I love that, chanel. Now did I hear you're writing a book.
Speaker 4:Yes, that is my goal. I have written some snippets and I believe the title will be Back when they Belong, and I didn't want to share a journey just about the hard times, but show people actionable things that I did to help pivot my life around. I'm the middle of seven kids and so even within us there have people that have gone different routes and done different things because of you know what we experienced, but I always cling hold to what my aunt said Just because you're here today does not mean this is where your story ends, and so I want to make sure I give people that opportunity to see you can get out of it. You can get out of it.
Speaker 1:That's great. Well, we can't wait for you to share with us when the book publishes. You've got an audience here that is going to want to take a look at that, so keep us posted on the book. I will. I love that you've written some snippets. That's awesome. That's fantastic. I'm wondering if you could share a career or life hack, something that you've learned along the way that's helped you be successful. Do you have something that comes to mind that you don't mind sharing?
Speaker 4:Two things come to mind. One is stepping up for those projects. A lot of times I feel, oh well, that person's smart, They'll get to it and you come back and they'll say we didn't have any volunteers. And once I stepped up to do that, the doors opened, not just for the career and not just for the accolades, but it really transformed that and I know people say it over and over and I've touched on it earlier. Networking and mentors oh, my goodness, Jeff, by me getting the mentor this year. A lot of platforms, opportunity and growth have come my way. Quite a few times in life I'm like, well, I feel I have experience, I feel, now that I have these degrees, why aren't I where I want to be and this person's there? And it was simple Get out, network and mentor and get a mentor. That has been a life hack for me in terms of career and education.
Speaker 1:It's interesting. We've asked that question to how many have we interviewed thus far this season? Six or seven individuals, and getting a mentor serving as a mentor, but also having a mentor somebody who's been there and can advise is something that we're hearing more than once. So I love that you're sharing that and I love that it's been something that's been meaningful to you.
Speaker 4:They cut out the hard work for you. They've already been there and done that. That's the ultimate life hack.
Speaker 1:They kind of help you speed up your progress, maybe. Yes, yeah, I love that. What do you hope to accomplish over the next one to two years?
Speaker 4:Aside from my book. I really want I'm going to apply for my doctorate in nursing practice. I'm going to apply for my doctorate in nursing practice. I want to take it to the next level where I, on a higher platform, even nationally, can be a thought and a change advocate for nursing. We're the largest healthcare group but yet a lot of things seem fragmented and I would like to help, from my time being a leader in a hospital bedside, in the hospital home care, to make all those experiences count for my peers and that way patients can get better care from that.
Speaker 1:I love that. Well, we want you to keep us posted on again the book, as I mentioned earlier, but also being a leader in the healthcare space. Do you have a university that you're looking at for your doctorate?
Speaker 4:Case Western Reserve here in Cleveland.
Speaker 1:Okay, fantastic. I wish that WGU offered a doctorate. You're not the first.
Speaker 4:Oh my goodness, I talked to my course instructor, who I still keep in contact with, and I said, ma'am, if you had a DMT I'd be right back at the door.
Speaker 1:Maybe someday I don't know that there's plans for that. I don't have that intel. But yeah, all the best to you as you continue down your education route, which will open up more and more doors for you to, like you say, to be an advocate, to be a force to reckon with. That's great, chanel. This has been a fantastic interview. I'm glad that you've been able to share your voice here with our audience and the successes that you've had. As we conclude our interview today, I want to turn this over to you for any final words, any final thoughts that you have before we conclude.
Speaker 4:The key thing that I want people to know is that knowledge is power, and I know sometimes we might see things where people say, oh, you don't need to go to school and you don't need to do that. It's more than just for a career. It sets you in front of people. It sets you in front of places that you'd never imagine, and I remember being in dark spaces and feeling like no one cares. No, my voice doesn't matter. You do matter, and if you are part of this WGU group whether you're a current student or alumni or you're thinking about it please go ahead for it. It has changed my life for the better as a person and also as a nurse and a leader. Thank you so much, jeff. Thank you so much to the alumni team. I hope that I am a good example of everything that WG has given to me and I hope to be able to share that with the world.
Speaker 1:Thanks, Chanel.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening to the WGU Alumni Podcast. To learn more about the WGU alumni community, visit wguedu backslash alumni. Thank you to our alumni, now 300,000 strong and growing WGU a new kind of you.